"All our properties are well differentiated"

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: Despite the slowdown in the economy, Marriott International Inc is on a major expansion spree in India. The international hospitality player already operates six properties in India—JW Marriott, Mumbai (launched in 2002), The Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre (2001), Courtyard by Marriott in Chennai (2006), Marriott Executive Apartments, Mumbai (2000), Goa Marriott Resort (1999) and Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre (2006). Into its tenth year, it is set to launch six more—Courtyard by Marriott Pune (153 rooms), Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon (199), Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad (164), Courtyard by Marriott, Hyderabad (193), Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai (299), and Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Pune (426)—by the year-end. The 82-year-old brand owns 3,000 properties in the United States and 67 other countries, including India. The products, both self-owned and franchisee hotels, are well-differentiated under various sub-brands, namely, the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names. It also develops and operates timeshare resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands, besides Marriott Executive Apartments. It also operates a separate division of furnished corporate housing through Marriott ExecuStay. Rajeev Menon, area vice-president, India, Pakistan, the Maldives and Malaysia, Marriott International Inc, spoke to FE’s Radhika Sachdev on the group’s expansion strategy and other plans for the sub-continent.

•Given the general market slowdown, is this the right time to launch new properties? Are you sure your developers will deliver on time?

You are right. They may not have delivered on time, had these projects been decided in the recent past, say the last couple of years. However, these projects have been in the pipeline for several years now and are now on the verge of completion. So there is no possibility of a recall, even if someone wanted to. For such projects, as you would be aware, the gestation period is three to five years and fortunately, we enjoy a good and solid relationship with our developers in north and south India. So we don’t really see a hiccup there.

•The hospitality industry has been reeling under severe occupancy decline over the past year-and-a-half, especially, after the Mumbai terror attacks. Did Marriott also suffer in this scenario?